


Damien Chronicles

by Midorisakura (Calacious)



Series: Bound Together [1]
Category: General Hospital
Genre: Adoption, Domestic, Fluff and Angst, Kid!Fic, M/M, mention of past attempted kidnapping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2018-01-15 06:18:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1294579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calacious/pseuds/Midorisakura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason starts to examine his life now that he's responsible for someone other than himself. Carly and Johnny help him come to terms with what he needs to do now that he and Johnny are new fathers to a traumatized kid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Damien Chronicles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [suerum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/suerum/gifts).



> Spin-off, of sorts, to Bound Together. 
> 
> Inspired by suerum's comment on that fic.

“Jason!” Carly gave him an incredulous look, and shook her head. “You and Johnny can’t keep dressing Damien in overlong tee-shirts and boxer shorts. One of these days you’re going to have to take him shopping for clothes.”

Jason tugged a hand through his hair and cast a sidelong glance at the little boy in question. Damien was seated at the coffee table, tongue sticking out of his lips as he concentrated on the picture that he was drawing. Jason couldn’t make heads or tails out of the kid’s artwork, but Carly had oohed and awed over it like it was a masterpiece. To him, it looked like little more than a series of wayward scribbles in red and black.

Jason didn’t see what the big deal was. “It’s not like he’s in school. Diane said he didn’t have to go to school for another year, at least.”

Jason quickly looked to Carly for confirmation on that, suddenly fearing that maybe the lawyer might not have gotten all of her facts straight. She wasn’t a mother, after all.

Carly rolled her eyes and gestured toward Damien, who was now leaning his upper body against the table, his little feet dangling inches from the floor. He was so intent on his drawing that it looked like he was going to break the red crayon that he was holding. His mouth was curved downward in a slight frown, and Jason’s mouth grew dry, his palms sweaty as he sensed that this wasn’t just another one of Damien’s simple drawings that Johnny would pin to their refrigerator with a magnet.

“Jason, honestly, the kid can’t go around looking like a waif. You’re not going to keep him cooped up in the penthouse forever,” Carly said. “You’ve got to take him to the park, the zoo, movies, and what about bringing him over to see your mother?”

Jason got the feeling that there was something Carly was holding back from him, and, for the time being, he didn’t want to know what it was, because he knew that he wasn’t going to like it. He was already regretting his impulse to take and then keep the kid, not that the kid was a problem. He wasn’t.

Other than talking, almost non-stop, when he wasn’t otherwise engaged, and asking hundreds of questions that Jason couldn’t even begin to answer half the time, he was a pretty okay kid. What worried Jason was that he and Johnny were going to somehow ruin the kid, because of who and what they were.

That weighed heavily on his conscience, which, arguably, he hadn’t had before the kid came into his life. The certainty of black and white answers seemed to no longer apply when he thought about decisions against the backdrop of what it would mean, in the long run, for the kid.

Jason doesn’t know how to be a father. Gets a cold sweat whenever he thinks about taking Damien into the world outside the front door of the penthouse where anything can happen, and danger could be lurking around every corner.

Jason doesn’t want to think about it, and maybe that’s why he hasn’t done something as fundamental as get Damien clothing that will actually fit him in the ten hectic days since the adoption has become final. Of course, Johnny hadn’t thought about any of that either. A clear indication that neither of them was father of the year material. In their defense, though, their lives had been a series of nearly sleepless nights, and seemingly endless days since Damien had come to live with them – Jason chasing after the ghost of Sonny, and Johnny dealing with his deadbeat grandfather’s trial.

Jason had called Carly out of sheer desperation, and fear that he and Johnny were going to do irreparable damage to the little boy after Damien had spent the entire night listless, running a slight fever. His best friend had dropped everything and come over right away that morning, after chastising him for not calling her sooner, and promising that he’d be in for an earful once she’d seen to the little boy that he and Johnny had adopted.

She hadn’t seemed all that worried about Damien after checking his temperature, and had administered some kind of medication which caused Damien to make a disgusted face. He hadn’t complained, though. Grimacing, and giving Jason a look that indicated he thought he was being unduly punished, Damien had swallowed the spoonful of red liquid, and then obediently gotten his crayons and paper from underneath the coffee table, and started drawing.

The paper and crayons were leftovers from when Carly had last visited with Josslyn in tow. He thought that maybe Carly might mention something about the lack of toys and other childhood paraphernalia, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with everything.

“I don’t know that I’m cut out for this, Carly.” Jason let out the breath that he’d been holding, and wiped a hand down his face.

Damien quirked his head to the side, and frowned at Jason for a moment, as though aware of Jason’s thoughts, but then he just as quickly resumed his scribbling, working the crayon down to a dull stub in his enthusiasm, coloring the entirety of the paper black and red. It was grisly looking, and Jason got a sinking feeling in his gut. He almost didn’t want to know what it was that Damien was drawing.

“I don’t know how to be a father,” Jason said.

Something flashed in Carly’s eyes, and she shook her head, pursing her lips. She jabbed a finger in Jason’s direction as she talked. “Oh no you don’t, Jason Morgan. You take a good, hard look at that little boy, and tell me that you’re going to abandon him.”

Jason couldn’t even muster the courage it took to look directly at Damien, and he dropped his gaze from Carly, hating that he couldn’t even look his best friend in the eye. Hating even more that she was right, and she knew it.

There was no way that he could abandon Damien, not now, not ever. Like it or not, the little boy had left an indelible mark on his life, and Jason didn’t know how the hell that had happened. He couldn’t even trace it – there was no map to his heart. Hell, he didn’t even know that he had a heart, not until Johnny, not until Damien.

“That’s what I thought,” Carly said smugly. “Now, here’s what’s going to happen. You, I and Damien are going to go shopping for clothing –”

Jason lifted his head, a protest on his lips, and his heart pounding like mad in his chest. He hated shopping. Johnny did most of the shopping for groceries.

Carly stilled him with a quelling look, her hand held aloft.

“This isn’t up for debate, Jason,” Carly said. “We’re going shopping, like it or not, and then we’re going to talk about baby proofing your home –”

“He’s not a baby, Carly,” Jason said, exasperated, feeling like his life was slipping away with each word that Carly said.

“Jason,” Carly said, sounding more than a little tired and exasperated. “None of your outlets are covered. Do you know how easy it would be for Damien to stick his fingers in one of them and electrocute himself? Not to mention the edge on this coffee table.”

Jason’s blood ran cold and his heart rate sky-rocketed as he imagined the curious little boy doing just what Carly had suggested. He eyed the boy sharply and shook his head.

“Damien’s not like that. He’d never do something like that,” the words sounded hollow and tinny in his ears as he envisioned Damien, fork in hand, tinkering with one of the outlets, much as the boy had done with a malfunctioning toaster – except he’d used a knife that day, and thank god the toaster hadn’t been plugged in, and Johnny had intervened in time. Jason felt like he was going to faint as he suddenly saw just what a minefield his home was for the four-year-old child.

“Relax, Jason,” Carly said, patting his knee. She had a faint smile playing about her lips, and Jason wanted to rip her head off for scaring him like that, because now he couldn’t stop thinking of different ways in which Damien could get hurt. “I’ll help you and Johnny make things safe for Damien.”

Jason wanted to both hug and strangle the woman who’d just pointed out how unsafe his and Johnny’s home was for Damien. Instead, he settled for giving her a wary smile, and gripping her hand and giving it a tight squeeze.

“I know that things are a little overwhelming for you and Johnny right now, but you’ll get the hang of it,” she promised him, squeezing his hand. “You and Johnny are going to be good fathers.”

Jason wasn’t so sure about that, but he knew better than to disagree with Carly. He wasn’t up to arguing with his best friend right now.

“Trust me, Jason,” Carly said, reading his mind. “It takes some getting used to, but you’ll get the hang of fatherhood.”

“I’m not so sure,” Jason said, honestly. He could never hide the truth from Carly, and knew better than to try. She had a way of ferreting it out of him one way or another. It would be pointless for him to even try.

“I know, honey,” Carly said, patting his knee. “That’s why you’ve got me. Now, tell me that you’ve got something other than that,” she pointed at the white tee-shirt and duck-covered boxers that Damien was wearing, wrinkling her nose in disgust, “for Damien to wear. Or, I’m going to have to go back to the house and see if I can find one of Morgan’s old castoffs for Damien to wear. There might be something that I missed when I brought his old clothing to the Goodwill.”

“He’s still got the clothes he was wearing when I found him,” Jason said, uncertain of the state of the shirt and slacks Damien had been wearing when he’d been kidnapped.

He wasn’t sure if he’d added Damien’s outfit to the wash or not. That was something that he usually left to Johnny. Laundry and grocery shopping were Johnny’s things. Jason cooked, and every now and then he dusted and vacuumed. It was a simple existence, but it worked for them.

Carly raised an eyebrow at him when he settled back against the couch, and she tapped him on the knee. Groaning, Jason rose from the couch, hoping that he’d be able to find the outfit in question, and that it wasn’t dirty. The minute he took a step toward the stairs, Damien launched himself out of the living room, and tackled him behind the knees, clinging to Jason’s legs as though terrified for his life.

“Mr. Jason,” Damien said; his eyes big and wide, and a little glassy. “Don’t leave me,” he whispered, burying his flushed face against the backside of Jason’s shin. “Please.”

The pitiful sounding plea nearly felled Jason, and he reached down, plucking the boy up in his arms without thinking. Damien laid his head against Jason’s chest, and wrapped his thin arms around Jason’s neck.

“Sh, it’s okay, Damien,” Jason reassured the little boy, patting him on the back. “I’m just going to get your clothes.”

“My birthday clothes?” Damien asked, sniffing and rubbing his nose against Jason’s shirt.

Jason nodded, trying not to grimace at the thought of snot being wiped on his shirt. It wasn’t his favorite shirt, not by a long shot, but Jason didn’t relish the thought of, not only changing Damien’s clothes, but having to get a change of clothing for himself as well.

“Yes,” Jason said. “You can stay with your Aunt Carly, and color if you want to.”

Damien shook his head, and tightened his grip on the back of Jason’s neck. “Wanna go with you.”

“Okay,” Jason said, sighing, and trying to navigate the stairs without being able to fully see them with Damien’s dark hair in the way. “But, you know you can trust Carly, right?”

Damien remained silent, and after a brief pause, he shrugged and then nodded.

“She’s your friend, the pretty lady in white?” the words were whispered, and Jason had to strain to hear them. He almost laughed at Damien’s description of Carly, but thought better of it.

“She’s my best friend,” Jason assured the little boy. “She would never hurt you.”

“Okay,” Damien said, loosening his grip a little and sighing. “Still wanna go with you.”

“That’s fine,” Jason said. “I might need your help finding where Johnny put your clothes,” he admitted.

“Mr. Johnny put them in the pink room,” Damien said around a yawn, settling like a lead weight in Jason’s arms.

Jason pressed the back of his hand to Damien’s forehead, much as he had seen Carly do, and he frowned when he realized that he had no idea what a normal temperature should feel like. He had no idea if he should be alarmed at the warmth, or if he should be relieved that Damien’s forehead was no longer damp as it had been throughout the night.

“It’s a good thing you decided to come along, then,” Jason said. “I’m not sure I could’ve found your clothes without your help. You’re a good helper.”

He didn’t know where those words had come from, and was a little taken aback at the soft hitch in breath from the little boy, and the smile that he felt stretch across his chest. It wasn’t like him to make paltry reassurances, and yet he felt like that wasn’t what he was doing in this case.

“Like a detective?” Damien asked; a hint of pride in his voice.

“Yeah, just like a detective,” Jason agreed, rubbing small circles in Damien’s back, noting just how thin the boy was in the way his shoulder blades jutted out. It was a wonder he hadn’t noticed before. He’d have to ask Carly about what they should be feeding Damien, and maybe have his mother check him out, to see if everything was alright.

“I can be your partner,” Damien said in a quiet murmur. “Just like on “Simon & Simon”. Granny watches that sometimes. They’re brothers, and they’re real good detectives, but sometimes Rick can be mean, and their mother, she’s kind of like Granny, except she’s sometimes nicer. She… ” Damien trailed off as Jason entered the room that Damien had been sleeping in, when he wasn’t wedged between himself and Johnny after a nightmare.

Damien’s arms slipped away from Jason’s neck, and Jason’s heart plummeted to his stomach. It took him several breathless seconds to realize that Damien had simply fallen asleep mid-sentence, and that the little boy hadn’t stopped breathing.

 

He stood still, holding Damien until his heart climbed back up into his chest where it belonged, and then he laid the little boy on the twin sized bed, brushing wayward tendrils of hair from Damien’s closed eyes. He’d probably have to get the kid a more kid-friendly bed, one with railings so that he couldn’t fall out, or maybe one of those cool ones that looked like a racecar. He’d seen one in a commercial, and, though he’d scoffed at it at the time, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea now. He wondered if Damien would want a race car or something else.

Jason carefully slipped Damien beneath the sheets, and tucked them underneath Damien’s chin. The boy’s cheeks were a faint, rosy red, the rest of him pale and pasty looking. Maybe Jason would ask Monica to come to the penthouse later that afternoon and have her check him out then.

Damien curled onto his side, and gripped the pillow like a teddy bear, and something pulled at Jason’s heart. He placed the back of his hand to Damien’s forehead, and it felt no warmer than it had when he’d done so earlier. He sighed, unsure of what to do, knowing that Carly would be disappointed that they wouldn’t be going on a shopping trip that afternoon, but it was clear that Damien needed the rest, and he hated the thought of waking him.

On an impulse, Jason sat on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through Damien’s hair. It was soft and silky, and it hit Jason suddenly, like a punch in the gut, just how young and vulnerable Damien was, and that he and Johnny were now responsible for him. None of this had occurred to him when he’d handcuffed himself to the little boy. All he’d been thinking about at the time was making sure that the men didn’t hurt the boy, and bringing him back to his family. He’d never dreamed that he and Johnny would _become_ the boy’s family.

It was a sobering thought, and Jason’s hand stilled, his heart clenched. Damien shifted in his sleep, turning toward Jason, his forehead crinkling slightly. Jason – compelled by something that he couldn’t understand and didn’t question – leaned over and brushed his lips over Damien’s forehead. It definitely felt much warmer than it had underneath the back of his hand, and Damien’s forehead smoothed out at the light touch.

Jason let out a breath that he hadn’t known he was holding, and he brushed Damien’s hair from his face. Damien leaned into the touch, and mumbled something in his sleep that sounded an awful lot like, “Daddy.”

Jason’s heart skipped a beat, maybe two, and, once more compelled by some unknown force, he kissed Damien on the forehead again, and the little boy smiled in his sleep. Though he had a strange compulsion to sit next to Damien while he napped, Jason stood after running his fingers through Damien’s hair one last time.

He stole out of the room, walking on tip-toes, knowing that his son – and that thought floored him, made him dizzy enough to clutch the doorframe and stand there for a few seconds until the dizziness passed – needed the rest. It was with a light head and a sense of the world turning upside down that Jason walked down the stairs and sat next to Carly.

“Jason, I think you forgot something,” Carly said, her tone teasing. “Or rather, someone.”

“Sorry, Carly, I don’t think today’s a good day for shopping,” Jason said, stifling a yawn of his own behind a fist. “He fell asleep mid-sentence.”

“Looks like Daddy needs a nap too,” Carly said, a grin tugging at her lips. “I’ll leave the Tylenol – you should give Damien some when he wakes from his nap – and I’ll see if I can find some of Morgan’s old clothes that will fit Damien. I think I might have something hidden away in the attic.”

“Will you write out what Johnny and I need to do to make this place safe for Damien?” Jason asked, wrapping his fingers around Carly’s wrist before she could stand.

Carly patted his arm. “Sure. I’ll bring some outlet plugs by later this afternoon, and some pamphlets for preschools. Jax and I have been looking into a couple of them for Josslyn. I didn’t say anything earlier, because I didn’t want to overwhelm you, but…”

“I’m going to be overwhelmed anyway,” Jason groaned, his head spinning even though his eyes were closed. He squeezed Carly’s wrist weakly, feeling more tired than he had ever felt in his life.

“Get some rest, Jason,” Carly urged. “I’ll write up what you and Johnny will need to make your penthouse safe. I’ll wait here until Johnny gets home.”

Jason yawned and stood, pushing away from the couch. “He should be back by four, maybe five. It’s fine if you need to leave before then.”

“Tell you what; I’ll leave when you wake up from your nap, okay?” Carly gave him a sharp look and pushed him in the direction of the stairs. “Don’t worry, Jason. I’ll keep an ear out for Damien.”

“Thanks,” Jason said around another yawn, veering off in the direction of Damien’s room when he reached the top of the stairs. Telling himself that he’d just peek in on the sleeping boy and then go to his room and take a power nap, he sat on the bed, and the next thing he knew, he was being jostled awake by small a small hand pressing on his shoulder.

Jason blinked, trying to take in the tousled hair and wide green eyes that were way too close for him to focus his sight on. “You awake buddy?”

Damien nodded. “Yeah.” His voice was raspy, and he hid a small cough behind the palm of his hand, looking apologetic.

“I don’t know about you, but I’ve got to tinkle,” Jason said, wincing at his use of the word, tinkle. He’d heard Carly use it on more than one occasion, and it slipped from his mouth easier than it probably should have.

Damien blushed, and ducked his head, nodding. He reached for Jason’s hand, and they made their way to the bathroom. Jason helped Damien with the boxers and then with washing his hands. It seemed so normal, and yet Jason felt as though his entire world had shifted significantly since he’d woken from his nap.

It was eerie, and yet it felt right, and Jason thought that maybe things would work out after all. Provided that he and Johnny could get the penthouse kid-proofed and manage to get the kid clothed and properly fed, that is. Provided that they didn’t screw everything up and ruin the kid.

Carly had another spoonful of medicine waiting for Damien when they reached the living room. She had a lunch of sandwiches and soup waiting for them – Damien could only manage a half a sandwich, but he ate all of his soup.

Carly had also managed to rustle up a bagful of toys and clothing that fit Damien. “Michael and Morgan cleaned out the attic, and Jax dropped everything off,” Carly said by way of explanation when Jason asked.

“I had enough extra safety plugs for your living room, your bedroom, the kitchen and the hallway. There are a few left for Damien’s room. What can I say?” Carly said, laughing when Jason raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Jax and I went a little overboard when it came to baby proofing our house when Josslyn was born,” she said with a shrug.

Jason hid a yawn behind a fist. “I guess.”

He eyed everything dubiously, smiling when he saw Damien choose one of the stuffed animals – a brown, curly furred puppy with a felt tongue lolling out of its mouth – and clutch it to his chest. There was a real smile on the boy’s face, though his cheeks were still pink from fever.

He was beginning to second-guess his and Johnny’s abilities to pull this whole fatherhood thing off as he looked around the living room, noticing the safety plugs, and the rounded, plastic edges that had been added to his coffee table.

“It’s just a start,” Carly cautioned, sensing Jason’s mounting tension as only she could. “And don’t worry. You and Johnny can handle this. Every new parent feels this way, Jason. You’ll do fine.” She laid a hand on his arm, lending him support.

“Thank you,” Jason said, unsure what else to say, how to express everything that he was feeling.

Carly kissed him on the cheek, and then bent to kiss the top of Damien’s head, smoothing down his hair. There was a fond smile on her face, and her eyes were shining when she looked at Jason.

“No thanks necessary. I’ll leave the medicine; give him another dose before bedtime. The list you asked for is on your desk. I’ll be by tomorrow if you need me.”

“Thank you, Carly,” Jason said, helping her with her coat. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Carly laughed, and patted him on the cheek. “You’ll be fine, Jason.”

“Bye, pretty lady in white,” Damien said. He was hugging the puppy so tightly that if it had been real, it would’ve been crushed.

Carly waved. “Bye, handsome young man.”

Jason spent the afternoon going through the clothing and toys, his heart swelling at his friend’s generosity. There were several outfits that Damien would be able to wear for awhile yet, and the list that she’d prepared for him was very thorough. He’d go over it with Johnny later that night. It all seemed manageable, if he broke it down into steps.

Damien nattered on throughout the afternoon, holding long-winded, one-sided conversations with some of his toys, and expounding on an episode of, “Simon & Simon,” that he’d recently watched with his grandmother. Jason had a hard time following it, but he listened, giving Damien his full attention, even while he worked on preparing dinner – meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, and biscuits.

When the food was prepared, Damien led Jason into the living room and handed Jason the picture he’d worked on earlier that day. He was oddly subdued, and climbed up onto Jason’s lap, tugging one of Jason’s arms around him, as though he was a blanket. He had his new friend, the stuffed dog, clutched in his other arm. Jason sensed a change in the boy’s demeanor, and he held his breath.

“What is this?” Jason asked, nodding his head at the picture.

“It’s Granny,” Damien said, shivering. “When the bad men hurt her.”

“I see,” Jason said, frowning, holding the boy a little tighter.

“I tried to help her,” Damien said, “but she told me to run away.” He shuddered and buried his face into the fur of the stuffed puppy.

“Did you run away?” Jason asked.

Damien shook his head, a little sob escaping the lips that he’d pressed together. “Couldn’t,” he said. “There was too much red. I hate red.” There was so much vitriol in the little boy’s voice that Jason instinctively pulled him closer.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Jason said.

“I couldn’t move,” Damien confessed in a whisper, fat, hot tears spilling down his cheeks. “There was so much red, and Granny told me to run, and I couldn’t, and the bad men came and then, and then, you came.”

Damien lifted his eyes, and they shone with tears and with something else that Jason didn’t think he’d ever inspire in anyone, let alone an innocent child – hero-worship and love. In spite of his tears, Damien was smiling, and he temporarily abandoned the stuffed dog to hug Jason, before plucking it back up into his arms and hiding his face against the soft fur.

Jason lost track of time, holding Damien long after the boy’s tears dried up and he fell into a light doze, the puppy held tightly in one arm, his head resting against Jason’s chest. Jason’s thoughts were on what little he remembered seeing the day that he’d rescued Damien – a glimpse of a pool of blood in the entryway, the door barely ajar, his eyes locked on the little boy struggling and trying to get away from large, burly men. He wondered if he’d have been able to save Damien’s grandmother if he’d acted differently that day.

He stirred when Johnny came home – two hours later than his projected four o’clock – planting a kiss on Jason’s lips, and one on the top of Damien’s head.

“What happened here?” Johnny asked, looking around the toy-strewn living room. He stank of oil and grease – hazards of being a mechanic.

“Carly came by,” Jason said, ignoring his husband’s raised eyebrow. “She’s got a list.”

Johnny groaned and stretched, plucking the picture that Damien had drawn off the coffee table and frowning at it. Jason shook his head, and Johnny let the macabre picture fall back to the table.

“Tell you what, why don’t you shower and I’ll get dinner on the table?” Jason suggested.

“Throw a beer somewhere in there, and you’ve got a deal,” Johnny agreed, wiggling his ass as he made his way out of the living room.

Jason rolled his eyes, and tickled Damien, eliciting a laugh, and unfortunately a cough, from the little boy. “C’mon, let’s go set the table while Papa’s taking a shower.”

Damien nodded.

“Mr. Johnny won’t mind if I call him, Papa?” Damien spoke quietly, not quite meeting Jason’s eyes. He slipped his hand in Jason’s, holding the puppy tight.

“He won’t mind at all,” Jason assured him. “Actually, I think he’d be very happy if you called him Papa.”

Jason hoisted Damien up, setting him on the table. He handed dishes over to Damien, who somehow managed to place them on the table in spite of the puppy in his arms. The little boy worked his lower lip between his teeth, and took several deep breaths, sighing loudly.

After several aborted attempts at speaking – opening and closing his mouth, fingers buried deep within the stuffed dog’s fur – Damien finally blurted, “Do you mind if I call you, Daddy, Mr. Jason? I never had a Daddy or a Papa, just a Granny and a Grandpa, and I…can I call you, Daddy?”

When he finished speaking, Damien held his breath. His eyes were focused on the table, knuckles white with how tightly he held onto the puppy. Jason placed a finger beneath the boy’s chin, tilting it up, so that he could look into Damien’s eyes.

“I’d be honored if you called me, Daddy,” Jason said around the thickness in his throat. His heart was beating so loudly it was a wonder that Damien couldn’t hear it, or maybe he could.

The smile that split Damien’s face was so radiant that Jason found himself smiling in return. “How about if we finish getting dinner on the table for Papa, and then after dinner we can go pick out one of the books that Aunt Carly brought over for you?”

“Can I keep Simon?” Damien asked, holding the stuffed puppy up in front of him, eyeing Jason almost warily.

“Of course, though, I think that he should wait for us in the living room while we eat our dinner,” Jason said, wondering if he was doing the right thing, if maybe he should let Damien keep the stuffed animal with him during dinner.

Damien held his arms up for Jason to lower him to the floor, and scampered off into the living room, returning empty-handed a few seconds later. He didn’t seem despondent, or overly upset at not being able to have his new toy with him at the dinner table, and Jason breathed a little easier.

When Johnny trailed into the dining room, damp hair combed into place, and smelling of soap and aftershave, Damien launched himself at the man, hugging him around the knees, drawing a startled, “Oomph,” from Johnny. Damien kissed Johnny’s leg and tugged him toward his seat.

“Dinner’s ready, Papa,” Damien said, a little shyly, not quite meeting Johnny’s eyes.

Johnny plucked him off the floor and wrapped him in a hug, play biting Damien’s neck and making the little boy squeal with delight, before depositing him on the chair, which now had a booster seat, courtesy of Carly. Damien didn’t break off into a series of coughs, which Jason took as a good sign. Maybe the cough medicine and the napping had helped.

“What did you and Daddy make for dinner?” Johnny gave Jason a sidelong look as he spoke, seeking permission to use the moniker, and Jason nodded.

“Meatloaf and ‘tatoes,” Damien said. “Simon helped too.”

Johnny frowned and looked at Jason, the question obvious in his eyes. Jason would have laughed at the spark of jealousy that he saw reflected in Johnny’s eyes, but Damien spoke up before it could fester.

“He’s my new puppy. The lady in white brought him for me; Daddy said I could keep him. I can keep him, can’t I?” Damien gave Johnny a look that Jason thought would’ve melted even Sonny’s heart, provided that Sonny had a heart.

Johnny looked at Jason for confirmation, and Jason, feeling a little pity for Johnny, who’d worked a twelve hour shift, put him at ease. “It’s a stuffed animal.”

“Sure, you can keep him,” Johnny said easily, winking at Damien, and shoveling potatoes onto his and Damien’s plate.

Johnny took three pieces of meatloaf, placing the third one onto Damien’s plate and cutting it up into bite-sized pieces. He ladled peas onto first Damien’s, and then his plate, and buttered rolls for them both.

Johnny didn’t bat an eyelash. He kept up a steady stream of conversation as he readied Damien’s plate, and Jason felt as if he’d been sucked into another universe. It was surreal, and yet as if they’d been doing this all along, as though Damien had always been a part of their lives, rather than a kid that Jason had rescued from hapless kidnappers not even two weeks ago.

“Jason?” Johnny asked, forkful of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas poised midair. “Did you hear what I said?”

Jason shook his head to clear it, and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, what was that?”

Johnny shared a look with Damien and rolled his eyes. “I think Daddy needs to go to bed early tonight,” Johnny said, and Damien nodded and giggled.

“Very funny, you two,” Jason said, wondering what he’d missed, and feeling himself grow pink. The truth was, he _was_ tired and would probably fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

“Here,” Johnny said, and just as he’d done for Damien, he plated Jason’s food, giving him an extra portion of meatloaf, and stopping just short of cutting it up into bite-sized pieces for him. “Damien and I were wondering if you were going to eat, or just watch us eat.”

Jason grimaced. “Guess I am more tired than I thought I was.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Johnny said, shrugging. “There’s not much to tell about work. The new guy’s working out just fine. I might be able to take half a day off tomorrow.”

“That’d be great,” Jason said, thinking about foisting off clothes shopping duty to Johnny and Carly, and doubting that his best friend would let that happen. Carly liked Johnny well enough, but he knew that she’d rather go shopping with him, no matter how much he hated it.

Once dinner was over, and the dishes had been loaded into the dishwasher – all three of them working together made it go quicker than Jason ever remembered it – they retired to the living room, Damien and Johnny with dishes of ice cream lathered in chocolate syrup, Jason with a beer.

When he’d finished his ice cream, Damien gathered Simon up in his lap, and sifted through the books, eyeing each of them seriously before finally choosing one that had a dog on it.

“Harry the Dirty Dog,” Jason read the title, as Damien climbed up onto the couch, insinuating himself between Jason and Johnny.

It was an entertaining book that kept Damien rapt as he read along with Jason and Johnny, pointing out words that he knew. Jason felt his chest swell with an odd sort of pride whenever Damien read a word by himself, though he had nothing to do with the child learning how to read or recognize words and letters.

As they neared the end of the second read through of the book, Damien’s head was resting on Jason’s stomach, his legs on Johnny’s lap, and Simon was being snuggled tightly beneath Spinelli’s chin. The little boy’s eyes were drooping, and, though Jason hated the face that Damien made when he drank the spoonful of medication Carly had left for him, he administered another dose before Johnny carried Damien up to bed.

“One more time?” Damien asked, though he couldn’t keep his eyes open.

“Tomorrow night,” Jason promised, and he brushed a stray hair from Damien’s eyes.

“Can we pray?” Damien asked, his voice whisper-quiet, almost as though he was afraid to ask. “Granny said we should always pray every night before bed.”

Jason exchanged a look with Johnny, whose face grew momentarily dark before closing him out emotionally. But, Johnny nodded, and offered Damien a smile. “Sure we can, kiddo.”

Damien led the quiet prayer, his eyes shut firmly, and his hands clasped in front of him, arms around his newfound puppy friend. He gave a relieved sigh when he was finished, and flopped onto his side. Johnny tucked the blanket up beneath Damien’s chin, and kissed him on the cheek. When Damien held Simon up, Johnny kissed the puppy on the nose.

Jason tucked the blankets tightly around Damien, like a cocoon, and then he gave him, and Simon, a kiss goodnight. He was hit with a sudden awareness, not unlike an epiphany, that this was what it was like to have a family, and to be loved. Jason had to close his eyes briefly to ground himself in his new reality.

He and Johnny waited until Damien was asleep, before heading to their own room, leaving the door to their son’s room slightly ajar, just in case he had a nightmare or needed something. As they got ready for bed, slipping beneath the sheets, both of them too exhausted to do much, Jason’s mind wandered to Carly’s list, and he realized that this was only the beginning.

“What’s wrong?” Johnny asked, turning toward Jason, propping his head up on his elbow so that he could peer down at Jason’s face.

“Nothing,” Jason said, elaborating when Johnny pierced him with a look. “It’s just; we can’t do this in a half-assed way. We can’t just wing it, and raise Damien by the skin of our teeth. We can’t screw this up, you know?”

Jason ran a shaky hand through his hair, letting Johnny catch it and draw it to his lips, placing a kiss on Jason’s palm, and then twining their fingers together. Johnny nodded, and laid down, his face toward Jason, their foreheads touching.

“And, as soon as Damien’s over this fever, we’re going to go out and get everything a four-year-old needs from A to Z,” Jason said around a yawn. Johnny’s dark eyes are twinkling with amusement, though the lids are also drooping much as Damien’s had been earlier, during story time.

“Sure,” Johnny agreed, kissing a path along Jason’s jaw between each word, making him shiver. “Sounds like a good idea. Was wondering when we’d get around to doing that.”

Jason blinked at him, and narrowed his eyes, pushing back slightly. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Johnny shrugged. “Figured you had a lot on your mind with Sonny missing, and temporarily being sidelined. I didn’t want to add more stress to your life.”

Jason wasn’t sure if he should be offended or angry or what, but he was too tired to get into an argument with Johnny right now. There was always tomorrow for that, should it become necessary to argue with him.

Jason knew that Johnny hadn’t had the best childhood, that maybe things that occurred to people like Carly and Jax, and Alexis, wouldn’t necessarily occur to either of them.

Johnny hadn’t felt like it was necessary to rush buying stuff for the kid, Jason didn’t think that meant anything bad, it just meant that Johnny had prioritized something else – Jason. From now on, though, Jason was going to have to make sure that they prioritized Damien, because it was the right thing to do.

He was an adult, Johnny was an adult, and yeah, they loved each other, and they would take care of each other, but Damien was just a kid, and he needed to be cared for more than Johnny or Jason, because he couldn’t look after himself, not yet, and it was their responsibility to look after him.

Some of his thoughts must’ve slipped out, because Johnny suddenly went still and gave Jason an almost pained look. “I know, Jason. The kid’s important, not just to you, but to me, too.” He sounded hurt. “That first time he looked at me with those soulful eyes, I…and tonight, when he called me, Papa…my heart it just –”

“Yeah,” Jason said, cutting Johnny off with an apologetic kiss. “I didn’t realize how life-altering this would be.”

“I don’t mind the life-altering,” Johnny said, drawing Jason into a deeper kiss, wrapping his arms around Jason.

As they drift off to sleep, ensconced in each other’s arms, Jason saiad, sleepily, a spike of fear nearly causing him to fully wake at the thought that Damien might cough himself awake and not be able to make it to their room, “Baby monitor. First thing I’m gonna get is a baby monitor.”

The words were practically slurred, and Johnny’s snorted response, “He’s not a baby,” was equally sleep-slurred.

“Try telling that to Carly,” Jason said, burrowing his head deeper into the pillow, thinking of Damien and Simon.

“Fine, we’ll get a baby monitor, first thing tomorrow,” Johnny said; tone mollifying and thick with sleep.

They both fall into an exhausted, peaceful sleep, barely waking when Damien tiptoes into their room countless hours later and slides under the covers, wedging himself between them, clutching his stuffed dog to his chest. His quiet coughs wake Jason first, and he spooned out some medicine, coaxing Damien back to sleep, and following shortly after.

Though Jason doesn’t know what the future holds for them, he isn’t afraid, because he had Johnny and Carly, and soon his house will be baby- or rather highly-intelligent-curious-kid- proofed.


End file.
